


fever dreams

by thirteenpaperstars



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, One Shot, Rated T for Safety, Rayllum, Sickfic, poor Rayla
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 09:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18363650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteenpaperstars/pseuds/thirteenpaperstars
Summary: “What? No, I’m fine. Just… just tired, that’s all. I’m sure of it. Can I have the cloak, please?” she pleaded, visibly shivering. Callum stared straight into her periwinkle eyes.“Rayla. You. Have. A. Fever.” he enunciated, making sure she understood. Was she really going to be stubborn again?“That’s crazy, I never get sick.”“Well, congratulations, because you are now. You need to rest.”





	fever dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, another fanfiction! I wanted to use this idea for Rayllum Week, but it wouldn't leave my head so I started writing this at 2 a.m. Who needs sleep, right?  
> Please enjoy! I love reading all of your comments, it keeps me so motivated as I'm still learning.  
> Thank you!!

 

“Callum?”

“Yeah?”

“Do we still have that cloak in the backpack?”

“What, the one you use for your human disguise?”

“Mmhm. Can I have it?”

“Why? It’s burning out here.”

“It is?”

“Rayla, it has to be _at least_ ninety degrees. Are you..are you feeling okay?” Callum asked, slight concern creasing his forehead. Rayla ran a hand through her hair, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on.

“Yes. No… I don’t know.” she admitted, coming to a stop along the trail they had been traveling on. She sank down to sit on a boulder. _Something’s wrong_. He knelt next to her, letting Zym crawl onto her lap.

“You know, we can stop to rest if you want. We’ve been covering so much ground it won’t make that much of a difference.”

“No, no, I’ll be fine, okay?” she insisted, as Callum knew she would. Rayla waved her hands as if dismissing the idea. “Let’s just keep moving.” She tried to stand, but immediately felt a wave of dizziness hit her like a punch to the gut. Unable to stay upright, her legs buckled from underneath her and she began to fall back down to the earth.  Callum reached out caught her moments before she split her head open on the rock. Her eyes were half-closed, her already milky skin paler than he’d ever seen it before. Panic set in. What was going on? Was she going to be okay? He lowered her down gently, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Callum froze. Rayla’s face felt like fire. _Uh oh._

“I think you have a fever, Rayla. You’re sick.” he told her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“What? No, I’m fine. Just… just tired, that’s all. I’m sure of it. Can I have the cloak, please?” she pleaded, visibly shivering. Callum stared straight into her periwinkle eyes.

“Rayla. You. Have. A. Fever.” he enunciated, making sure she understood. Was she _really_ going to be stubborn _again_?

“That’s crazy, I never get sick.”

“Well, congratulations, because you are now. You need to rest.”

Rayla didn’t understand. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d been sick, four fingers and all. Moonshadow elves had almost impenetrable immune systems. Something about her being sick didn’t fit.

“No...no, seriously, I’m sure I’m fi-” she started, but cut off as her throat closed up. Dread prickled at her stomach. Confused, he reached a hand out, watching in fear as she violently twisted away from him and vomited, arms wrapped around herself. Callum felt his heart sink. He was _really_ starting to panic now. Here they were, out in the middle of _who-knows-where_ , and he didn’t know a thing about medicine, much less elven medicine. He wanted to do _something, anything_ , to make her feel better. He felt helpless.

“Rayla.” he whispered soothingly, tracing circles on her back with the palm of his hand, as his mother used to do when he was sick. She crumpled in on herself like broken glass, feeling ashamed and just downright _sick._ Even if it meant Callum was right all along. She hated feeling so vulnerable. She hated that he had to see her like this. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks. _She’s crying. Oh my gosh, she’s crying, what do I_ do _?_ Callum thought frantically. _Okay, stay calm, just help her get through this._ Wrapping an arm around her he brushed her hair back from her face.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he comforted, consoling her as well as himself.”Just rest, you’ll be okay.” She leaned into him as he held her. Soon, she fell into a dreamless sleep, her tears reduced to mumbles. Callum dared not to move. Being careful not to disturb her, he emptied the water in his canteen onto his washcloth, and held the cool fabric against her forehead. She didn’t even flinch. _She’s exhausted._ He thought, his eyes never leaving her until he too drifted off without realizing it.

~~~~

Rayla slept into the late afternoon. When she opened her eyes, the piercing light triggered  another round of headaches. As much as the rest had helped, she still felt like she wanted to crawl into a dark hole and never come out. It was then when she noticed Callum’s head on her shoulder, his eyes shut in what she hoped was peaceful sleep. Rayla felt her cheeks burn. _It’s the fever_ , she decided, _definitely the fever._ She shifted into a more comfortable position, accidentally jostling Zym, who was slumbering next to her. Just as she was preparing to settle asleep again, she felt the weight of one light blue baby dragon pouncing on her.

“Zym!” she whispered urgently, stealing a glance at Callum to see if he had noticed. “Shhh.” Yet, Rayla’s attempts at shushing him were fruitless, and Callum awakened moments later. Noticing his head resting on Rayla’s shoulder, he awkwardly mumbled something incoherent, and hurried to sit up.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were awake?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“You looked peaceful.” she stated matter-of-factly, immediately wishing she could force the words back into her throat. Stupid fever. Callum frowned.

“Still. You should have woken me. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

“Uh..ah, sure.” she stammered, recalling the day’s earlier events. Did she really _cry_ in front of him? Her face flushed, embarrassed . Callum got up and began to rifle through his backpack, finding a few kinds of Xadian berries he had saved from earlier in the day.

“Are you..feeling any better?” he asked hesitant to hear her answer.

“It feels like my brain is trying to kill me.” she complained.

“I wish I could help you,” Callum admitted. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Mmmmhnn.” Rayla moaned, resting her head in her hands in an attempt to ease the pounding tension in her head.

“Lunaleaf.” she mumbled through her hands, hoping she wasn’t being too needy.

“What?” Callum asked.

“Lunaleaf. Helps with headaches. It’s grown all over Xadia, a bright purple bush, you can’t miss it.”

“Actually, yeah, I think I’ve seen some of those plants. Are you going to be okay by yourself if I go get some for you?”

“Mmmm.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Callum decided.

~~~~

By the time he returned fifteen minutes later, Rayla had fallen asleep again. _Good,_ he thought, setting his handful of leaves down. _She needs it._  Noticing that her washcloth compress was dry, he began to unscrew his canteen. He was about to replace it when Rayla let out a bloodcurdling scream and sat bolt upright, eyes still closed. It was like nothing he had ever heard before. Cold terror washed over him, a million scenarios running through his head.

“What’s wrong? Rayla?” he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. Her eyes popped open.

“Sorry. Sorry. Fever dream.” she said, averting his eyes and taking deep breaths to calm down. Flashes of her dream flitted through her head. Callum, dead. Runaan, dead. Ezran, dead. _It’s not real,_ she told herself. _None of it. They’re here._ Rayla felt as though she just couldn’t seem to catch a break. Even her sleep was restless.

“Do you want to tell me? What happened?” Callum asked.

“Nothing. It’s just…nothing. It’s okay.” she offered him a weak smile. He wanted to press on, but noticed her tense expression. He turned and held out his small bundle of foliage out to her.

“Here,” he said. “I really hope this helps.”

“I’m sorry.” she said softly. Callum’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Rayla. Everyone gets sick. Even you, apparently.”

“But-you...and..” she stammered.

“Trust me, I’m a lot more tragic when I’m sick than you are. You’re nothing compared to me.” he said, taking her hand in both of his. Rayla would have felt butterflies if she hadn’t been feeling so _miserable._ She sighed.

“Yeah, but-“

“Hey. You should try to get some rest again. If you need anything, I’m here, okay?” Rayla nodded, bracing herself for more disturbing dreams. She barely heard it as she turned away, but Callum added quietly,

“I’ll always be here.”

Rayla was suddenly very glad he couldn’t see her face. And if anyone asked, well, she’d blame it on the fever.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Cuties. I love them too much.  
> Thanks for reading! <3


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